1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmitting apparatus, transmitting method, receiving apparatus, receiving method, computer program, and broadcasting system, and in particular to a transmitting apparatus, transmitting method, receiving apparatus, receiving method, computer program, and broadcasting system that enable sign language interpretation to be additionally displayed on a screen of a television or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
To help people with hearing difficulties to understand content of television programs, there have been methods using captions, sign language interpretation, or the like.
The caption-based method transmits caption data corresponding to aural data, or a speech in a television program using a data broadcasting signal (referred to below as a data signal) and allows the user of a television set to display or hide the captions as desired (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-322000, for example).
The sign language interpretation-based method is employed in news programs targeted to people with hearing difficulties as well as campaign programs during elections, but the programs using sign language interpretation are extremely outnumbered by the programs using captions.
It is expected however that, from the viewpoint of universal access or the like, the use of the sign language interpretation-based method will be promoted in more television programs including commercial messages (CMs), hereinafter a program is also referred to as a content, under the leadership of the government.
In such a case, it would be impractical and difficult to have a sign language interpreter attend in each content. A video of the sign language interpreter (referred to below as a sign language video) would be created separately from the content.
It is expected that the created content and corresponding sign language video will be broadcast at the same time and will be displayed simultaneously by the receiving apparatus (television set, for example), or otherwise will be combined at the broadcasting station before being broadcast.